In a principal aspect, the present invention comprises a vehicle battery carrier which includes opposed gripping members connected by a handle member that telescopically receives the gripping members to adjust and maintain their spacing and thereby effect a grip on an item such as the side walls of a vehicle battery.
Gripping, lifting and transport of a battery from the compartment for a vehicle engine or some other battery compartment in a vehicle may be effected by various types of battery carriers. For example, a flexible handle loop which includes grippers at its opposite ends may be utilized to engage and lift a battery, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,217. However, release of the loop will cause release of the grip upon the battery.
An alternative carrier device includes a pair of gripping members connected by a scissors type connection wherein the angular relationship of the connecting scissor members may be set and adjusted, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,837 and 4,055,364. Such a carrier may, when the handle or scissor members are released, not retain its grip on the battery.
Thus, there has developed the need for an improved battery carrier which will permit access to restricted spaces and which will enable gripping and maintaining a grip on a battery.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a battery carrier which includes first and second opposed gripping members that are arranged to grip into the sides of a vehicle battery, for example. Each gripping member has a projecting handle member extending upwardly from the gripping member and then inwardly so that the inner ends project or extend toward one another in opposed relation. A hand held connecting member then engages the opposed sections or elements of the handle members in a manner which permits adjustment of the spacing of the gripping members and retaining the gripping members in the fixed, spaced relationship. In a preferred embodiment, the hand held connecting member comprises a reversibly threaded tube which telescopically receives opposite threaded inner ends of the handle members. By rotating the hand held connecting member, one is able to adjust and maintain the spacing of the gripping members attached to the handle members. The gripping members may include an edge or tooth design to facilitate gripping by the carrier. The carrier may be attached to a vehicle battery, for example, and will remain engaged with the battery so long as the hand held connecting member has been operated to adjust the spacing of the gripping members to tightly grip the battery.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved vehicle battery carrier device, which will not only grip and hold a battery or similar item, but also will retain a grip on the carried item, such as a battery, when the carrier device or handle thereof is released.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, yet rugged, easily assembled and easily manipulated or utilized battery carrier device.
A further object of the invention is to provide a battery carrier device which permits adjustment of the spacing of gripping elements designed to engage and grip a battery.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a battery carrier device which is easy to adjust and manipulate to accommodate various sizes of batteries.
A further object of the invention is to provide a batter carrier device which may be utilized in restricted spaces.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in a detailed description which follows.